From Bear to Bierstadt

Last week Karen & I decided it was time to to hike from Bear Lake to Bierstadt Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was supposed to be an easy hike with lots of scenery and beautiful views.

It was all that and more!

The view driving into Estes Park was spectacular!

Our normal picture spot on Bear Lake was breathtaking.

Even with all the Dung Beetle trees the lake is a popular tourist attraction every day of the year.

This is usually photographed covered in snow and with friends climbing atop the cliffs.

The signs says it is 1.7 miles to Bierstadt.  We'll see about that!

More to come stay tuned.

Cruise (part 2)

Whoa, the Earth is still moving even though I am on dry land.

What a week!

The Carnival Cruise ship Ecstasy is a wonderful vessel for sailing. We sailed out of the Port of Houston (since Galveston's Carnival port was destroyed by IKE) on Monday afternoon. The port is not 100% finished but the fabulous employees of Carnival have done a a great job of improvising until construction is complete.

The Houston Bayport was scheduled to be opened in Late October and they began using the facility the day after IKE pummeled Galveston. When we boarded the ship at 4:00pm we were already two hours behind schedule and the crew was even further behind because the US Coast Guard has chosen that day to perform the annual ship readiness exam.

When we finally pushed off we were excited because we were experiencing the first of many wonderful meals aboard ship. Our head waiter was named Aslam, he was from India and only sees his wife and kids for 2 months after a six month tour of duty on the Ecstasy. I will tell more of his story as the week progresses.

The photo of the ship is from when we were in port at Progresso, Mexico.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Gulf of Mexico and thank my lucky stars to have been with such great friends and my beautiful bride (wait till I post her photo).

Cruise of a Lifetime (part 1)

Well, Here I sit in a motel room in muggy Houston. The second stage in a week long adventure planned by my beautiful bride, Karen.

Let me tell you how great she is, she is more wonderful to me today than anytime in the last twenty-two years. I love her with all my heart, mind and soul.

You see, she has wanted to go on a cruise for as long as I can remember. All we had to do was get the money and she would take care of all the details, and that she did.

This morning we awoke at a friend's house (a story for another time), and left for the Denver International Airport. Our youngest son, Ben, drove us there and then went back to Loveland for the week. He will come get us from the airport on Saturday after this wonderful excursion.

We are awaiting our lifelong friends Mark and Noelle, who are driving from Dallas to Houston as I type this out. They, along with other friends; Don & Cindy, and Odie & Kathy are all on the same Carnival Cruise as us.

We weigh anchor tomorrow, Monday, Oct 13th @ 3:30 PM CST. We will sail into the Gulf of Mexico, where will will dock at Yucatan on Tuesday, then Cozumel on Thursday, returning to Houston's Bayport on Saturday.

Did I tell you how much I love my wife. She is the "apple of my eye", and I hope to never loose her affection.

Stay tuned as I post pictures from each day of the trip. But remember this men...

Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth,but only the Lord can give an understanding wife. Proverbs 19:14